Anticreeper for railway rails



Apr. w, 1923 w. s. WESTON ANTICREEPER FOR RAILWAY RAILS Filed July 5, 1922 0i v wM/q W Adi .5

Patented Apr. 10, 1923.

STATES WILLIAM S. WESTON, 01? DALLAS, TEXAS.

ANTICREEPER FOR RAILWAY RAILS.

Application filed July 3,

T 0 all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLTAM S. WESTON, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Dallas, county of Dallas, and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Anticreepers for Railway Rails, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to anti-creepers for railway rails which have a lever grip upon the rail, operating through the medium of a rigid bar with two unyielding shoulders bearing against the opposite rail base edges, the bar being passed transversely beneath the rail at an angle a little less than ninety degrees. It relates more particularly to improvements on the two piece V-form spring clamp anti-creeper set forth in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,120,258 granted to me Dec. 8, 1914:.

The objects of my present invention are an improvement in the construction of the tie abutting part and the longitudinal portion of the V-for1n spring clamp part, providing for a new and improved interlock be tween the two parts; an improved method for installing the device on the rail; and incidentally novel means for retaining it in operative position adjacent the tie. The novel features of construction whereby I attain these objects are hereinafter described and clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part of these specifications, and are particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a rail showing the anti-creeper in position against the tie. Fig. 2 is anelevation transverse to the rail as seen from the left of Fig. l, with the tie omitted. Fig. 3 is a transverse elevation as seen from the right of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4: is a plan view with the rail base shown in dotted outline. Fig. 5 is a plan view illustrating an intermediate position of the parts of the device in the process of its installation, the outlineof the rail base being shown in dotted outline. The same letters and numerals ofreference indicate the same parts in the several views.

Described in detail the device consists of a clip or jaw part, marked A, embracing one rail base flange, and a V-shaped spring clamp part having one arm of theV, marked 13, located transversely beneath the rail base, and the other arm, marked C, located substantially longitudinal and parallel with the 1922. Serial No. 572,478.

rail base edge and outside of the jaw part A. The clip or jaw A at its forward end is provided with a stiifening flange 6, extending over and under the rail base edge. The lower portion of this flange, in itself stiffened against bending by the bracket 7, is adapted to abut against the tie, or substructure and to receive the reaction thrust. The exact shape of this jaw as viewed in Figs. 12 and 8 is partly indicated by dotted out- The transverse arm B of the spring clamp is provided with shoulders 8 and 9, adapted to bear against the opposite rail base edges. The shoulder 8 is formed adjacent the root or junction of the two arms of the V, and immediately back of the rearward end of the jaw A. The shoulder 9 is formed on the free end of the arm B and is provided with a short hook 10, overhanging that edge of the rail base. This hook has a fit on the rail sulliciently loose to permit the manipulation of the device in the process of installation and yet prevent the end of the transverse member dropping away from the rail R in operation. In the process of forging the shoulder S, the longitudinal arm C, of the V clamp is preferably offset to a higher level than the transverse arm and is adapted to extend along the upper surface of a rib 11, formed on the outside of the jaw part A. This rib is utilized to prevent the shoulder 8 and the root of the V dropping away from the rail in operation. The forward or free end portion of the longitudinal arm C passes through a notch 12, in the flange 6 of the jaw A, and is thereby held against vertical movement in either direction. The extreme end of the longitudinal arm extends forward beyond the flange 6 a short distance over the tie T, and is bent outward at right angle to the rail, as shown at 13, and in such manner that a nail or spike 14 may be driven into the tie within the hook thus formed. The longitudinal arm is also provided on its inner or rail side surface with a shoulder 15, adapted to take a bearing on the forward edge of the notch 12 of the flange 6 of the jaw part A. The shoulder 15 and the root of the V at shoulder 8, located respectively at the forward and rearward ends of the jaw provide an interlock between the jaw and the spring clamp when installed.

Fig. 5 illustrates an'initial stage in the process of installation. The jaw A is first placed on the rail base flange in position .ver grip.

against the tie. The spring clamp is then placed to the rear of the jaw as shown with its shoulders 8 and 9 bearing against the opposite rail base edges and with the inner portion of the hook 13 resting on the rib 11. A pinch bar or hammer is then applied to the root of the V in the direction indicated by the arrow 16 to force the spring clamp to its final position as shown in Fig. 4.

Two features of primary importance and essential to the functional operation of my anti creeper are especially to be noted. First, the functional operation is contingent on the establishment and maintenance of a lever grip on the rail base, operative in a horizontal plane with the shoulders 8 and 9 bearing against opposite base edges acting as the fulcrums. The transverse arm B and the shoulders are therefore made integral and relatively unyielding. Second, the V-form spring clamp is manufactured from resilient material with an angle between the two arms, B and C, less than required when installed. To illustrate, when the spring clamp is forced from the position of Fig. 5 to that of Fig. 4i the angle between the transverse and longitudinal arms is opened up against the resilient quality of the metal. This quality therefore tends to rotate the arm B with its shoulders as a whole in the direction indicated by the circular arrow, 17 in Fig. 4, and thereby maintains the le- To increase the range of the resilient action of the V clamp I preferably flatten a portion of the longitudinal memher at 18 adjacent the root of the V. In addition to the maintenance of the lever grip a second object attained by the resilient quality of the V clamp is that of holding the jaw A snug to the rail and interlocked with the clamp as described. It is to be noted in connection with the spring clamp action that the essential bearing of the longitudinal arm C on the jaw A is located at the notch 12 at the forward end, and that this bearing in connection with the shoulder bearings 8 and 9 constitute the three point bearing described in my prior patent.

In functional operation, referring to Fig. l, when the rail tends to creep in the direc tion indicated by the arrow 19, the tie reaction thrust indicated by the arrow 20 is transmitted from the receiving flange 6 through the bodyof the jaw A to its rear bearing in the root orbottom of the V adjacent the fulcrum shoulder 8. This action tends to rotate the arm B in the direction indicated by the circular arrow 17 and to increase the lever grip. Any such movement due to the crushing down of rust or dirt in the fulcrum bearings or to the indentation of the rail edge will operate to relieve the installation strain in the V-form rather than to increase it.

After the anti-creeper has been installed in the operative position shown in Fig. i a nail or spike 14 is driven into the tie within the hook formed on the end of the longitudinal arm. This spike serves no purpose in the normal functional operation of the device as an anti-creeper. Its sole purpose is to aid in holding the device close to the tie, against which it is placed at installation, at such t mes as the rail may back up or creep in the opposite direction from that indicated by the arrow 19. The use even of the spike is not always essential for so holding the device. Full ballast surrounding the tie abutting portion of the jaw A, especially if frozen, or any other part of the substructure surrounding the jaw would serve the same purpose, the spring clamp being interlocked with the jaw. It is especially to be noted that, because of this interlock between the two parts and the resilient relation be tween the two arms of the clamp part, the rail may back up through the anti-creeper without changing the shape or the interlocking relation of the parts, and without destroying the intial and essential lever grip established at installation. lVhen the rail backs up and the device is held either by the spike 1st or by the ballast or other means i the pressure is relieved at the three points of bearing above described sufficient to let the rail slide through. These three points retain their relative position, however, and the pressurefor the lever grip is reestablished the instant the movement of the rail reverses to the forward direction.

It is obvious that changes may be made in the exact proportions and details illustrated, without departing from the essential elements of my present invention as defined in the claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An anti-creeper for railway rails comprising two parts, a tie abutting jaw part mounted on one rail base flange, and a V- form spring clamp part mounted with one arm of the V located transversely beneath the rail with shoulders bearing against opposite rail base edges and having its free end hooked over the opposite rail base flange and with the other arm of the V located longitudinally of the rail and interlocked with the said jaw part against relaof the V located longitudinally of the rail and interlocked with the said jaw part against relative movement in all directions; and in combination with said two parts means for holding the anti-creeper adjacent to the abutted tie during movement of the rail in the reverse direction.

3. An anti-creeper for railway rails, to hold a rail against movement in one direction, comprising two parts, a tie abutting jaw part mounted on one rail base flange, and a V-form spring clamp part mounted with one arm of the V located transversely beneath the rail with shoulders bearing against opposite rail base edges and having its free end hooked over the opposite rail base flange and with the other arm of the V located longitudinally of the rail and interlocked with the said jaw part against relative movement in all directions; and in combination with said two parts means consisting of a hook on the free end of said longitudinally located arm of the V and a spike driven into the tie within said hook for holding the anti-creeper adjacent to said tie during movement of the rail in the reverse direction.

4. An anti-creeper for railway rails comprising two parts, a tie abutting jaw part mounted on one rail base flange, and a V- form spring clamp part mounted with one arm of the V located transversely beneath the rail and the other arm located longitudinally relative to the rail base flange and outside the said jaw part; said transversely located arm being provided with shoulders adapted to bear against the opposite rail base edges and thereby establish a lever grip thereon, and said tie abutting jaw part being interlocked between a shoulder on the said longitudinally located arm and a bearing in the bottom of the V-form at the juncture of the said arms.

5. An anti-creeper for railway rails comprising two'parts, a tie abutting jaw part mounted on one rail base flange, and a V- form spring clamp part mounted with one arm of the V located transversely beneath the rail and the other arm located longitudinally relative to the rail base flange and outside the said jaw part; said transversely located arm being provided with shoulders adapted to bear against the opposite rail base edges and thereby establish a lever grip thereon, and said tie abutting jaw part being interlocked between a shoulder on the said longitudinally located arm and a bearing in the bottom of the V-form at the juncture of the said arms; and assembled by forcing said parts together in a longitudinal direction against the resilience of said V-form manufactured with the included angle between the arms thereof less than required when installed, substantially as described.

WILLIAM S. WESTON. 

